The Forbes 250 officially launched in celebration of America’s semiquincentennial. Throughout this milestone year, Forbes is spotlighting the spirit and evolution of the American Dream across print, digital and live events nationwide.
We began the six-part, year-long series with the Innovator 250, published on February 11 in honor of Thomas Edison’s birthday, grounding the project in both invention and legacy. The launch included:
🇺🇸 Take a closer look at how the list was made — including where figures like Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, Mark Cuban and Madonna rank among America’s most influential innovators. Read more
🎥 Watch our announcement in partnership with America250 on MS NOW
Visually, the project was conceived as a unified franchise with distinct expressions for each era. The Living and Historic lists operated within one cohesive system — rooted in America’s legacy of breakthrough thinking — while maintaining clear differentiation between past and present.
A playful nod to heritage appeared in the Historic list through the use of an archival version of the Forbes logo, reinforcing the publication’s long-standing role in documenting innovation.
Across both lists, roughly 75 visuals were curated through a deliberate mix of refreshed archival material, selectively sourced new photography, newly commissioned photoshoots and, where needed, photo-realistic illustration. Underutilized legacy images were re-edited to elevate figures such as Elon Musk, Vlad Tenev, Kris Jenner and Vinod Khosla, while new photography was commissioned to bring contemporary weight — most notably for cover subject Sam Altman.
AI enabled early scenario modeling, allowing visual planning to begin months before final editorial delivery. Rather than waiting for a locked list, preliminary scenarios anticipated inclusions and asset needs, giving the team time to research, refresh and secure imagery ahead of close.
The result was a unified visual system designed to carry the complete six-part Forbes 250 series.
CREATIVE TEAM
Creative Director: Alicia Hallett-Chan
Director of Photography: Robyn Selman
Art and Design Direction: Fernando Capeto
Art Director, Editorial Operations: Charles Brucaliere
Editorial Design: Philip Smith, Yunjia Yuan, Macy Sinreich
Photo Research: Gail Toivanen
